Rating: PG-16

After Cassie and Jessica were asleep Dean went to have a talk with this father. “Dad, I think I should go so Sam can stay here with Missy she is only around for a couple days and we don’t know when we are all going home.”
“I know you’re right we were just afraid that your condition could be a problem. It’s distracting to have to keep track of your thoughts like that,” John said.
“But I’m better I feel I can do this, besides Sam said its just about getting some papers to use in our curse cleansing ceremony.”
“Right but we could still run into trouble,” John confirmed.
Dean went out to speak with Sam next. He knocked on the door knowing he was probably interrupting something but he needed to speak with him. Sam came to the door in his boxers and a frown.
“Sorry,” Dean said.
“So what do you need?” Sam asked wearily.
“What exactly did I interrupt? Before or after?” Dean teased.
“Dean,” Sam said impatiently.
Dean waited.
“During, so you owe me a quick explanation.”
“Sorry, man I know how that is…”
Sam glared at him.
“To the point or I close the door on you.”
Dean told him how he was feeling and suggested that he stay back with the ladies so he could go with Dad and Joshua in a few hours.
Sam actually liked the idea; so it was settled.
“As you were,” Dean said with a smile as Sam shut the door in his face.

Dean woke up Cassie just before they were leaving. He knew she would be angry that he hadn’t discussed going with her but this was just something she would have to get over. She just looked at him when he told her. Of course, she was still half asleep.
“Okay, but be careful,” she said a moment later.
He kissed and held her; suddenly feeling a bit of doubt. Then he picked up Jessica who as kicking at her covers. She must have been entertaining herself since she wasn’t fussy. He held her too before giving her to Cassie. They walked with him downstairs to meet Joshua and John at the truck. Cassie and Jessica gave hugs all around. Everyone else had said their goodbyes earlier.
“Godspeed,” she said with a smile remembering what Joshua had said to Dean before.
Joshua nodded as he got in the truck.

They decided to stop for breakfast once they were in Kansas City.
“So we go by the place first check the activity then wait until dark to go in, this is so easy,” Dean said.
“Easy never turns out as we expect and I think one of you should go inside before the building closes so you can just let us in. That will help quite a bit,” John said.
Joshua agreed.
They found the location at 666 S. Sinner St., then sat and watched a bit from the park across the street. The building was an office building but the façade was gothic; it looked more than a hundred years old. Since they were in the former downtown part of the city it fit in with the other buildings in the area though this one was off to itself and surrounded by woods. John had been told the Coven had offices in the building and they held their meetings in the basement. He wasn’t sure where the archived information was stored but he believed the basement would have more space. Dean was the chosen one to go inside though John had to convince him not to be charming or draw attention to himself.
“I’m a married man I don’t do that any more,” Dean insisted as he left the truck. John laughed, Dean had been that way since birth; always the charmer.

Sharon had to work but she allowed Jon Jon to stay at home since they had company. He was excited to be home on a school day; he even began to open up a bit.
“So uncle Sam can we go to the park again?”
“Well I was thinking maybe we could go to the zoo,” Sam said as he watched Bethany’s face light up.
“The zoo?” she said in amazement as her blue eyes shined.
“That’s even better I love animals,” Jon Jon piped in.
Cassie and Missy laughed at the kid’s wonder of it all. Even Jessica was smiling with everyone though she was generally happy either way. She did seem to be looking for Dean but the kids kept her mind occupied. Cassie had a real bad feeling about the trip the rest of the Winchesters were on; she mentioned it to Missy but she didn’t share her apprehension. Sam seemed to be enjoying himself so she didn’t bring it up with him.

Dean had located the office easy enough but getting to the basement was more difficult since it was a locked area and he was trying to blend in despite his blue jeans. Everyone he saw seemed friendly though a few times he had to pretend he was lost. He went into a lawyer’s office and took advantage of a free consultation. He figured he may as well help Joshua out while he waited. The divorce lawyer ended up being an auburn haired beauty someone who would have “turned him on” fast in his single days. They talked for almost an hour until his cell phone rang and he realized he needed to get to a quiet corner. He thanked her got her card for his brother and left the office.

“It’s dark outside, where are you?” Joshua asked.
“On the way to the side door to let you in. Be quiet as possible there are still people in here working,” he whispered before hanging up to get on the elevator. The lawyer was getting in the elevator too so he waited to see where she was going hoping to go the opposite way. But she never pushed a button so he picked an upper floor wishing that she was leaving for the day.
“Where you headed?” he asked as he volunteered to push the button for her.
“Same place,” she said with a smile.
Dean nodded quietly hoping that John and Joshua didn’t draw attention to themselves as they waited for him to get to the door.
At the sixth floor he got off and looked around just before she exited. He stood for a moment with hopes that she would believe he was confused.
“I was supposed to meet my brother here but maybe I’m early,” he said as he pretended to look at his watch while he leaned against the wall praying now that she would move on.
“See you,” she said as she sauntered down the hallway.
Dean sighed as he headed for the friendly stairwell were had hidden a lot during his time in the building.

Back at home Missy took the kids to the den to settle them down for a nap, except Jessica who was already asleep in Cassie’s lap. Cassie absentmindedly played with the baby’s curls as she spoke with Sam.
“I don’t know Sam I never get bad feelings about things we leave the sixth sense stuff up to Jessica,” she whispered.
Sam nodded.
“Well I haven’t had any visions so maybe you are just uneasy since Dean decided to leave at the last minute.”
Cassie certainly hoped that was true. She decided to change the subject.
“So what do you think about Lawrence now that you are older?”
“It’s all new to me since I was so young when we left. We were always on the road, you know.”
“Yea, Dean has told me some pretty wild stories about your lives. I really hope we can settle down for a while after this. At least have a break before you go back out hunting that thing.”
“I don’t know if I am going to go out again with getting married and having a baby,” Sam said.
Cassie could understand that reasoning but she believed Sam would be like Dean; eventually he would go out again. Part of her didn’t blame them for wanting to settle the score but the other part of her just wanted her husband at home safely in her arms.

Dean opened the door for his brother and Dad quietly. As soon as they walked in they heard a noise upstairs, it sounded liked the door was being locked. They took that as their cue to hurry up the stairs to beat who ever was locking the doors to the next level. They were quick and quiet as they walked out into the corridor. Dean was practically holding his breath, while Joshua seemed in his element. They turned when they heard a voice.
“Oh looks like you found who you were looking for,” the lawyer lady said as she went to push the elevator button.
“Yea, they finally showed up,” Dean said with a forced smile. The elevator opened and she got in to flash them a smile as the doors closed.
“Who was that?” Joshua asked.
John shook his head, “Dean you weren’t supposed to draw attention to yourself.”
“I was in here for three hours I got a little bored so I…consulted a divorce lawyer.”
“What?” Joshua asked not believing what he was hearing.
“For you Joshua,” Dean said impatiently.
John looked from Dean to Joshua then gave up trying to figure out what they were talking about.
“Thanks for trying to help,” Joshua said as they headed down the hall.
“Not a problem,” Dean said as he smiled.

“I was reading on the internet about the place where Dad is headed and it’s supposed to be haunted,” Sam said as they finished their dinner.
“Great, they should feel right at home,” Sharon said as she got up to put her plate in the sink.
“Not great, that’s just one more thing they will have to deal with,” Cassie said frustrated with Sharon.
She knew about Sharon though she had tried to be nice to her despite the facts, she felt like hitting her. Joshua seemed like a decent guy how could she treat him the way that she had. Of course, it wasn’t anyone else’s business what happened between them it just irked her that Sharon could try to seem so normal when she was currently “fooling around” on her husband. I certainly can’t be the one to cast the first stone. No one is without blame.
Cassie took a deep breath and bit back her follow up retort.
“Yea that doesn’t seem like it would be in their favor,” Missy added.
“I’m sure they will be fine, they’ve been at this for years, right?” Sharon asked but left the room before receiving a reply.
Sam shook his head.

After checking the official office and not finding anything they decided they old records must be in the basement. There were able to pick the lock to door once they found it in the bottom stairwell cautiously opened the door to find a large dimly lit room. It ran the length of the building, which was seven stories and covered about a half a block. It was set up like a meeting room on one side with tables and chairs but the other side was partitioned off with a door. John located an area with another door toward the back that he hoped held the files. Dean opened it then stood outside to wait. Joshua’s curiosity got the best of him so he went to check out the other side of the partition. John heard a scrapping just as he flung the files into the bag. He moved to the door to see the auburn haired lady turn into the overseer. It had Dean pushed against the wall about a foot off the floor. When it turned to see John it flung him against the other wall using its mind just before Joshua fired three shots into it and it evaporated in to a puff of smoke.
Dean glared at him after he hit the floor.
“Dude, you could have missed him and shot me.”

They both ran to check on John and were shocked to see a large pointed object sticking out of his stomach. The blood was oozing around what looked like a stake. He was stuck to the wall by the stake as John hung there he looked confused.
“Mary,” he said.
“No,” Dean groaned.
They phoned 911 not sure what they could tell them when they came. Pulling the stake out would only kill him faster Joshua told Dean. Joshua moved a chair underneath John’s feet to keep him from trying to pull himself up. Dean went out to wait for the ambulance and concoct a story. The surreal scene reminded Joshua of the sacrifice of the Lamb.
Joshua didn’t think John was even seeing him any more because he kept looking over Joshua’s head.
“Dad can you hear me?”
John looked at him, “Mary,” he said again.
Then Joshua felt something on his cheek.
“Take him down I can help,” the voice said.
Joshua looked around but couldn’t see anyone.

Sam woke up screaming.
“Sam, wake up, wake up,” Missy said.
He rose up to look around.
“Something has gone wrong, I saw it,” he said.
Missy got dressed while Sam phoned Dean, but the line was busy.
“He’ll call if something is wrong,” Missy assured him.
“Missy something is wrong; but I just don’t know who is hurt,” he insisted.
They went inside the house to wait for the call.

Dean tried Sam again not sure why his line would be busy so late.
Joshua did what the voice said hesitantly afraid he would hurt his father, but he put John’s weight on him to slowly pull him off the stake then gently placed him on the floor.
“Is that you mom? I hope you can help like you say.”
He felt it again just a wisp of a breeze on his face. He didn’t know how she could help but he was desperate. In a few minutes, John’s eyes seemed clearer and he looked at Joshua.
“I still don’t have much time; this is temporary. Just long enough to say goodbye.”
Joshua swallowed as Dean came in with the paramedics. Dean was surprised to see his father on the floor considering what Joshua had told him.
As they took him in the stretcher Joshua explained to Dean everything he knew.
“Did you see mom?” Dean asked.
Joshua shook his head.
Sam would be meeting them at the hospital; they were already on the way.

The doctor insisted that it was just a matter of time. He had critical spinal damage a punctured lung, various fractures and internal injuries. John was on a breathing machine and sedated but he had wanted to be able to say goodbye so he was in a great deal of pain. Sharon stayed back with her kids but Cassie brought Jessica because they rarely had her out of their sight. Everyone crowded in the room and took turns saying goodbye. Cassie and Dean went last.
“Thank you for everything,” he whispered to Cassie.
“I’ll see you then and thanks for the gift of your son,” she said as she took Jessica out to the waiting room to let Dean have a moment with his father alone.
“I’m sorry if I wasn’t every thing you needed me to be,” Dean apologized.
“I love you son, you were more than I deserved. Take care of your family as you always have, okay,” John insisted before Dean left the room. I love you too Dad. Dean turned to go back in to tell his father he loved him; but the machines began to go crazy. Dean ran in the room to push the nurse button as his father passed away to the other side.

TBC
The Conclusion is Next.